Teens held for killing

Press, 12 October 1985, Page 10

Teens held for killing

NZPA-PA London London’s, police have arrested four teenagers over the killing of Constable Keith Blakelock, who was hacked to death in the Tottenham riots on Sunday. The four - two aged 15, one 14, and one 13 — were held at various police stations in north London.

Constable Blakelock, aged 40, slipped and fell outside the shopping precinct on the Broadwater Farm estate as he tried to protect firemen from the mob. Witnesses said that dozens of rioters fell upon him “like a pack of hounds tearing a fox to pieces.” He was the first policeman to be killed in a riot in Britain; He was married with three young sons. He had served as a community officer for the Hornsey area of north London. His job included dealing with immigrant groups. Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Trevor Stratford, who dragged the dying Constable clear, said that a knife was embedded in his neck up to the handle. Constable Blakelock was taken to hospital, where he died 15 minutes after arrival. The police had been making widespread inquiries and they set up a special telephone line for anyone who wished to give information anonymously.